History Main / OneShotRevisionism

** The first volume of the ''Chronicle'' made the Spirit Healers fully canon as part of expanded lore on the universe's equivalent to {{Valkyries}}. The explanation is now that there are a few of them without masters who occasionally guide the dead back to the land of the living, which still makes one wonder why they never choose to save a canon character, but leaves open the excuse that it's up to their whims.

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** The first volume of the ''Chronicle'' ''[[Literature/WorldOfWarcraftChronicle Chronicle]]'' made the Spirit Healers fully canon as part of expanded lore on the universe's equivalent to {{Valkyries}}. The explanation is now that there are a few of them without masters who occasionally guide the dead back to the land of the living, which still makes one wonder why they never choose to save a canon character, but leaves open the excuse that it's up to their whims.

** The [Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS] episode introduced the subcutaneous transponder a device implanted under the skin to enable them to beam up the landing party should they be out of communication. Considering how many times they'd have their communicators confiscated, it's a wonder it has never mentioned before or since. Incidentally, the device was never used for that purpose. It was removed and used to fashion a laser from a light bulb to escape a cell.

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** The [Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS] [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode introduced the subcutaneous transponder a device implanted under the skin to enable them to beam up the landing party should they be out of communication. Considering how many times they'd have their communicators confiscated, it's a wonder it has never mentioned before or since. Incidentally, the device was never used for that purpose. It was removed and used to fashion a laser from a light bulb to escape a cell.

** The [Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS] episode introduced the subcutaneous transponder a device implanted under the skin to enable them to beam up the landing party should they be out of communication. Considering how many times they'd have their communicators confiscated, it's a wonder it has never mentioned before or since. Incidentally, the device was never used for that purpose. It was removed and used to fashion a laser from a light bulb to escape a cell.

* When LegionOfSuperheroes introduced their first member of African descent, they chose to say he came from a island of separatists that's normally not in this dimension and only appeared on Earth periodically. UnfortuanteImplications abound, which is a strange thing for the writers to have come up with considering they had a member who was green and another who had antennae.

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* When LegionOfSuperheroes introduced their first member of African descent, they chose to say he came from a island of separatists that's normally not in this dimension and only appeared on Earth periodically. UnfortuanteImplications UnfortunateImplications abound, which is a strange thing for the writers to have come up with considering they had a member who was green and another who had antennae.

* When LegionOfSuperheroes introduced their first member of African descent, they chose to say he came from a island of separatists that's normally not in this dimension and only appeared on Earth periodically. UnfortuanteImplications abound, which is a strange thing for the writers to have come up with considering they had a member who was green and another who had antennae.

** The first volume of the ''Chronicle'' made the Spirit Healers fully canon as part of expanded lore on the universe's equivalent to {{Valkyries}}. The explanation is now that there are a few of them without masters who occasionally guide the dead back to the land of the living, which still makes one wonder why they never choose to save a canon character, but leaves open the excuse that it's up to their whims.

** In the new series, the Doctors' appearance is up for open criticism from the other characters, who often mock his dress sense and accent. This only really serves to draw attention to the times he showed up wearing sillier clothes and sillier accents in the Classic series without anyone mocking him for it -- having a Northern or Scottish new-series Doctor is almost as (apparently) hilarious as their mildly unusual outfits, but no-one makes fun of the Fourth Doctor's ridiculous scarf and peculiar voice or the Third Doctor's lisp and questionable frilly clothing. Also edges into [[UnfortunateImplications mildly classist]] territory -- upper-class [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Received Pronunciation]] is the "default", therefore not funny like working-class Glasgow and Manc?

to:

** In the new series, the Doctors' appearance is up for open criticism from the other characters, who often mock his dress sense and accent. This only really serves to draw attention to the times he showed up wearing sillier clothes and sillier accents in the Classic series without anyone mocking him for it -- having a Northern or Scottish new-series Doctor is almost as (apparently) hilarious as their mildly unusual outfits, but no-one makes fun of the Fourth Doctor's ridiculous scarf and peculiar voice or the Third Doctor's lisp and questionable frilly clothing. Also edges into [[UnfortunateImplications mildly classist]] territory -- upper-class [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Received Pronunciation]] is the "default", therefore not funny like working-class Glasgow and Manc?

Oneshot Revisionism occurs when a writer notices an illogical trope or plot device and attempts to avert it. More often than not, the attempt only draws further attention to the illogic of the convention - "if X didn't happen here because of Y and Z, why does it happen every other time?" - and at the same time makes it harder for other writers to HandWave the whole thing away. Especially bad when the plot device in question has been used multiple times in the same {{Canon}} where the one-shot revision is set.

The important thing about Oneshot Revisionism is that it ''works''; generally the only problem with it is that it draws attention to all the other times it theoretically could and should have been used but wasn't. This distinguishes it from a VoodooShark, which doesn't even work on its own terms.

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Oneshot One-Shot Revisionism occurs when a writer notices an illogical trope or plot device and attempts to avert it. More often than not, the attempt only draws further attention to the illogic lack of logic of the convention - -- "if X didn't happen here because of Y and Z, why does it happen every other time?" - -- and at the same time makes it harder for other writers to HandWave the whole thing away. Especially bad when the plot device in question has been used multiple times in the same {{Canon}} where the one-shot revision is set.

The important thing about Oneshot One-Shot Revisionism is that it ''works''; generally the only problem with it is that it draws attention to all the other times it theoretically could and should have been used but wasn't. This distinguishes it from a VoodooShark, which doesn't even work on its own terms.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* In ''Franchise/OnePiece'', everyone is MadeOfIron, except for Kuina, who [[DeathByFallingOver dies when she trips and falls]]. A character comments on her death by remarking that "people are so fragile."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* The [[{{Retcon}} revised]] [[Creator/JMichaelStraczynski JMS]] origin for ComicBook/SpiderMan which says that a [[AWizardDidIt "spider-totem"]] made him [[BecauseDestinySaysSo fated]] to get the power, and explains why Spider-Man has a lot of villains who are themed around animals. Of course, this just calls attention to the fact that lots of ''other'' superheroes also have a gallery of themed villains with no explanation whatsoever.* [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/origin.htm Another such explanation]] was given by writer Mark Gruenwald in ''ComicBook/{{Quasar}}''; that all superheroes and villains in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse are the result of a cosmic being's influence, and that "themed" beings are naturally drawn to each other. This also counts as One-Shot Revisionism, as the idea's never been acknowledged by other writers; of course, since this was in Quasar, it's likely no-one knows about it.* An untold story of the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' comic book series was published in 1999, featuring Earth-D, a perfectly racially mixed world. On it, all the aliens pointedly did not have human racial features. What makes this OneShotRevisionism is that it makes it harder to forget that the aliens still had most human features ''not'' associated with race.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', SpaceIsNoisy is just a convention that fans accept, along with the use of the convention of sound traveling at the speed of light, as being imaginary sound effects for the viewers' pleasure. The ExpandedUniverse goes further and {{Hand Wave}}s that these sound effects are [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aural_sensor for the pilots' use as well]]. ''Attack of the Clones'' tried to portray space more realistically, only to stop halfway: there is sound in space, but it travels slower than light![[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Harry's friends take a rare luck potion before the Death Eaters show up at Hogwarts. This [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] the Death Eaters' [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship]] and it's suggested afterwards that many of Harry's friends would have died had they not taken the potion. However, the Death Eaters having bad aim was played straight in the climax of [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix the previous book]]. In the case of the Battle of the Ministry, the members of Dumbledore's Army who were there were using the twisting corridors as well as their smaller size and youth to their advantage; outpacing the Death Eaters as well as using extensive cover and tactics to avoid taking casualties. Even then, however, they still lose several members (Hermione, Ginny, etc.) to the Death Eaters as they attempt to escape. * ''Seven Sorcerers'' by Caro King averts NobodyPoops... exactly once in the beginning when Nin, fresh from the normal world, asks for a pause to relieve herself. Afterwards, one could think humans in Drift don't have to use toilets. (Magical being get a pass as they are literally based on imagination).[[/folder]]

** The "Kirk Maneuver" in the second movie: a ship "diving" and then "resurfacing" before the attack. It's a clumsy break from the {{Two-D Space}} convention, still unconvincing (why resurface?), and making it impossible to just discount {{Two-D Space}} as a TV convention that doesn't reflect [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis how the space battles "really" went]].** In the sixth movie, there is the one time when a ship loses artificial gravity. Which only highlights the fact that it breaks much more rarely than it should.*** In fact, in the Voyager episodes Year of Hell, the ship is scarred and barely holding together, but never does the gravity give out.**** ExpandedUniverse material justifies it ([[VoodooShark sort of]]) with the explanation that artificial gravity is built to be almost impossible to disrupt in Federation starships because most Federation member races are really uncomfortable in zero-G and work far less efficiently. This makes sense considering most of them only go out in zero-G conditions for bare minimum qualification trials. So while other factions' vessel designs use a centralized gravity generator, Federation gravity is plated into the floors so that any disruptions are local. Life-support and DeflectorShields are apparently harder to decentralize.

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** The "Kirk Maneuver" in the second movie: a ship "diving" and then "resurfacing" before the attack. It's a clumsy break from the {{Two-D Space}} TwoDSpace convention, still unconvincing (why resurface?), and making it impossible to just discount {{Two-D Space}} TwoDSpace as a TV convention that doesn't reflect [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis how the space battles "really" went]].** In the sixth movie, there is the one time when a ship loses artificial gravity. Which only highlights the fact that it breaks much more rarely than it should.*** should. In fact, in the Voyager ''Voyager'' episodes Year "Year of Hell, Hell", the ship is scarred and barely holding together, but never does the gravity give out.**** out. ExpandedUniverse material justifies it ([[VoodooShark sort of]]) with the explanation that artificial gravity is built to be almost impossible to disrupt in Federation starships because most Federation member races are really uncomfortable in zero-G and work far less efficiently. This makes sense considering most of them only go out in zero-G conditions for bare minimum qualification trials. So while other factions' vessel designs use a centralized gravity generator, Federation gravity is plated into the floors so that any disruptions are local. Life-support and DeflectorShields are apparently harder to decentralize.

** The "Franchise/StarTrek Phase II" fan-film web episode "[[http://io9.com/5113745/long+suppressed-gay-star-trek-episode-comes-out Blood and Fire]]", based on a rejected Next Generation script, is a one-shot revision of the complete lack of homosexuals in the Franchise/StarTrek universe. So now instead of zero homosexuals in the universe, there are exactly two, which is almost worse.

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** The "Franchise/StarTrek Phase II" fan-film web episode "[[http://io9.com/5113745/long+suppressed-gay-star-trek-episode-comes-out Blood and Fire]]", based on a rejected Next Generation ''Next Generation'' script, is a one-shot revision of the complete lack of homosexuals in the Franchise/StarTrek universe. So now instead of zero homosexuals in the universe, there are exactly two, which is almost worse.

** In the TNG episode "The Wounded" we see a space battle at 250,000 km, which is decided by one ship using their superior weapon-range to engage the enemy at a distance where they can't return fire. This make all those occasions where ships fight nose-to-nose all the more dumb.* In ''StarWars'', SpaceIsNoisy is just a convention that fans accept, along with the use of the convention of sound traveling at the speed of light, as being imaginary sound effects for the viewers' pleasure. The ExpandedUniverse goes further and {{Hand Wave}}s that these sound effects are [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aural_sensor for the pilots' use as well]]. ''Attack of the Clones'' tried to portray space more realistically, only to stop halfway: there is sound in space, but it travels slower than light!* Each ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' game contains exactly one situation where an NPC will scold you for being a KleptomaniacHero. Others will completely ignore you looting their possessions under their nose, which gives you no dark side points either.** Except the Tusken Raiders, who will not merely scold you but shoot you on sight...* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has such a moment associated with the pilot episode, "Children of the Gods":** The {{novelization}} of the episode has the characters [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] AliensSpeakingEnglish, which confirms that yes, the aliens do speak English after all; it's not merely translated for the audience's benefit after Daniel reconstructs the local language and teaches it to his teammates off-screen.* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'', when the KleptomaniacHero opens a locked door in Midenhall, the guard initially reacts the way you'd ''expect'' somebody to when someone breaks in to loot a chest. However, he then recognizes the Prince and apologizes.** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', your hero is the son/daughter of Ortega. When you break into the treasure chamber of your liege's castle, the guard recognizes you and says that he respects your father too much to stop you. He still mildly [[WhatTheHellHero calls you out for it]], particularly since the king will actually give you permission to raid the treasury late in the game...

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** In the TNG ''TNG'' episode "The Wounded" we see a space battle at 250,000 km, which is decided by one ship using their superior weapon-range to engage the enemy at a distance where they can't return fire. This make all those occasions where ships fight nose-to-nose all the more dumb.* In ''StarWars'', SpaceIsNoisy is just a convention that fans accept, along with the use of the convention of sound traveling at the speed of light, as being imaginary sound effects for the viewers' pleasure. The ExpandedUniverse goes further and {{Hand Wave}}s that these sound effects are [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aural_sensor for the pilots' use as well]]. ''Attack of the Clones'' tried to portray space more realistically, only to stop halfway: there is sound in space, but it travels slower than light!* Each ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' game contains exactly one situation where an NPC will scold you for being a KleptomaniacHero. Others will completely ignore you looting their possessions under their nose, which gives you no dark side points either.** Except the Tusken Raiders, who will not merely scold you but shoot you on sight...* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has such a moment associated with the pilot episode, "Children of the Gods":** Gods": The {{novelization}} of the episode has the characters [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] AliensSpeakingEnglish, which confirms that yes, the aliens do speak English after all; it's not merely translated for the audience's benefit after Daniel reconstructs the local language and teaches it to his teammates off-screen.* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'', when the KleptomaniacHero opens a locked door in Midenhall, the guard initially reacts the way you'd ''expect'' somebody to when someone breaks in to loot a chest. However, he then recognizes the Prince and apologizes.** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', your hero is the son/daughter of Ortega. When you break into the treasure chamber of your liege's castle, the guard recognizes you and says that he respects your father too much to stop you. He still mildly [[WhatTheHellHero calls you out for it]], particularly since the king will actually give you permission to raid the treasury late in the game...off-screen.

** In the new series, the Doctors' appearance is up for open criticism from the other characters, who often mock his dress sense and accent. This only really serves to draw attention to the times he showed up wearing sillier clothes and sillier accents in the Classic series without anyone mocking him for it - having a Northern or Scottish new-series Doctor is almost as (apparently) hilarious as their mildly unusual outfits, but no-one makes fun of the Fourth Doctor's ridiculous scarf and peculiar voice or the Third Doctor's lisp and questionable frilly clothing. Also edges into [[UnfortunateImplications mildly classist]] territory - upper-class [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Received Pronunciation]] is the 'default', therefore not funny like working-class Glasgow and Manc?** The new series goes out of its way to address the uncomfortable power dynamic between the Doctor and the companion, by making him more dependent on her than she is on him, and by cutting back a lot of the creepy subtext of the Doctor's paternalism, as well as inserting romantic elements. The trouble is that the uncomfortable relationship is still there by sheer function of the way the show works, only now it's presented as a romantic ideal, wheras the original series tended for the most part not to sugar-coat how difficult travelling with the Doctor could be. It also ends up providing the retroactive interpretation that a lot of the NoHuggingNoKissing Classic Doctors might have been hugging and kissing the companions more than we see on screen.** The story "Midnight" took on the oft-used idea that the Doctor could show up with no history, no credentials, and a lot of knowledge which he refuses to explain, be detained for two minutes, and then be treated like an authority because there's a crisis going on. In this one story, these traits actually make everyone else ''suspicious'' of the Doctor as would happen in reality. (Some Classic era stories did touch upon this - both "The Tenth Planet" and "The Faceless Ones" deal with it heavily - but since the Revival series omits sequences of the Doctor stumbling around, getting captured and convincing the natives that he's helpful, the Classic series didn't have to rely on this conceit as a NecessaryWeasel to the same extent.)

to:

** In the new series, the Doctors' appearance is up for open criticism from the other characters, who often mock his dress sense and accent. This only really serves to draw attention to the times he showed up wearing sillier clothes and sillier accents in the Classic series without anyone mocking him for it - -- having a Northern or Scottish new-series Doctor is almost as (apparently) hilarious as their mildly unusual outfits, but no-one makes fun of the Fourth Doctor's ridiculous scarf and peculiar voice or the Third Doctor's lisp and questionable frilly clothing. Also edges into [[UnfortunateImplications mildly classist]] territory - -- upper-class [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Received Pronunciation]] is the 'default', "default", therefore not funny like working-class Glasgow and Manc?** The new series goes out of its way to address the uncomfortable power dynamic between the Doctor and the companion, by making him more dependent on her than she is on him, and by cutting back a lot of the creepy subtext of the Doctor's paternalism, as well as inserting romantic elements. The trouble is that the uncomfortable relationship is still there by sheer function of the way the show works, only now it's presented as a romantic ideal, wheras whereas the original series tended for the most part not to sugar-coat how difficult travelling with the Doctor could be. It also ends up providing the retroactive interpretation that a lot of the NoHuggingNoKissing Classic Doctors might have been hugging and kissing the companions more than we see on screen.** The story "Midnight" took on the oft-used idea that the Doctor could show up with no history, no credentials, and a lot of knowledge which he refuses to explain, be detained for two minutes, and then be treated like an authority because there's a crisis going on. In this one story, these traits actually make everyone else ''suspicious'' of the Doctor as would happen in reality. (Some Classic era stories did touch upon this - -- both "The Tenth Planet" and "The Faceless Ones" deal with it heavily - -- but since the Revival series omits sequences of the Doctor stumbling around, getting captured and convincing the natives that he's helpful, the Classic series didn't have to rely on this conceit as a NecessaryWeasel to the same extent.)

* The [[{{Retcon}} revised]] [[Creator/JMichaelStraczynski JMS]] origin for ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}} which says that a [[AWizardDidIt "spider-totem"]] made him [[BecauseDestinySaysSo fated]] to get the power, and explains why Spider-Man has a lot of villains who are themed around animals. Of course, this just calls attention to the fact that lots of ''other'' superheroes also have a gallery of themed villains with no explanation whatsoever.** [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/origin.htm Another such explanation]] was given by writer Mark Gruenwald in ''ComicBook/{{Quasar}}''; that all superheroes and villains in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse are the result of a cosmic being's influence, and that "themed" beings are naturally drawn to each other. This also counts as OneShotRevisionism, as the idea's never been acknowledged by other writers; of course, since this was in Quasar, it's likely no one knows about it.* An untold story of the ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' comic book series was published in 1999, featuring Earth-D, a perfectly racially mixed world. On it, all the aliens pointedly did not have human racial features. What makes this OneShotRevisionism is that it makes it harder to forget that the aliens still had most human features ''not'' associated with race.* In ''Franchise/OnePiece'', everyone is MadeOfIron, except for Kuina, who [[DeathByFallingOver dies when she trips and falls]]. A character comments on her death by remarking that "people are so fragile."

[[folder:Video Games]]* Each ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' game contains exactly one situation where an NPC will scold you for being a KleptomaniacHero. Others will completely ignore you looting their possessions under their nose, which gives you no dark side points either. Except the Tusken Raiders, who will not merely scold you but shoot you on sight...* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'', when the KleptomaniacHero opens a locked door in Midenhall, the guard initially reacts the way you'd ''expect'' somebody to when someone breaks in to loot a chest. However, he then recognizes the Prince and apologizes.** Similarly, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', your hero is the son/daughter of Ortega. When you break into the treasure chamber of your liege's castle, the guard recognizes you and says that he respects your father too much to stop you. He still mildly [[WhatTheHellHero calls you out for it]], particularly since the king will actually give you permission to raid the treasury late in the game...

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Harry's friends take a rare luck potion before the Death Eaters show up at Hogwarts. This [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] the Death Eaters' [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship]] and it's suggested afterwards that many of Harry's friends would have died had they not taken the potion. However, the Death Eaters having bad aim was played straight in the climax of [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix the previous book]].** In the case of the Battle of the Ministry, the members of Dumbledore's Army who were there were using the twisting corridors as well as their smaller size and youth to their advantage; outpacing the Death Eaters as well as using extensive cover and tactics to avoid taking casualties. Even then, however, they still lose several members (Hermione, Ginny, etc.) to the Death Eaters as they attempt to escape. * ''Seven Sorcerers'' by Caro King averts NobodyPoops... exactly once in the beginning when Nin, fresh from the normal world, asks for a pause to relieve herself. Afterwards, one could think humans in Drift don't have to use toilets. (Magical being get a pass as they are literally based on imagination).

A term coined by Justin B. Rye in his essay "[[http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/trek/3.html Star Trek: Mark Two]]", which points out various inconsistencies in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and ways of avoiding them for a hypothetical remake.

to:

A term coined by Justin B. Rye in his essay "[[http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/trek/3."[[http://jbr.me.uk/trek/3.html Star Trek: Mark Two]]", which points out various inconsistencies in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and ways of avoiding them for a hypothetical remake.

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